Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham said his comments were a “credit,” but it’s not quite how it came across.
Whittingham, who spoke on “Inside Michigan Football” with team color commentator Jon Jansen on Monday, was asked about Oregon coach Dan Lanning and, at first, his comments were exceedingly positive about the man whom his team will face off with this Saturday (3:30 p.m., FS1) in Eugene.
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“Outstanding football coach, defensive-minded coach,” Whittingham said. “That’s his background, but tireless recruiter. He really does a great job recruiting.”
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning speaks with Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham before a game Oct 28, 2023 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
That’s not where he left it, however. Instead, he started talking about Oregon’s deep pockets, which could serve as a double whammy of sorts. For one, even if you walk it back, it could come across to an eternally motivated coach as saying the only reason he wins is because he pays players.
Or two, it could upset your own donors − who helped fund a roster worth nearly $40 million this year that is somehow (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) perhaps the most underperforming team in America − and make it seem as though they didn’t put the program in a place to be successful like others.
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“It doesn’t hurt that you have $50-plus million at your disposal to, in essence, outbid everybody,” Whittingham continued. “Not everybody, but a lot of people. But that’s not his fault. That’s a credit. I mean, that’s a credit to their program and their dedication and desire to win and and the support they have.
“Not to take anything away from Dan because he is an outstanding recruiter just in and of itself, and they they seem to have found out who they are again in the last few weeks. They had a coordinator change like we did, and the quarterback is playing much better. You know, in those those losses, they had quarterback issues, and the [Dylan] Raiola kid has seemed to settle in and really start to get into a rhythm.”
Whittingham lauded Autzen Stadium and the atmosphere U-M will have to play in, which he said “isn’t the biggest” but is “second to none” in terms of environment, which includes “state of the art” facilities thanks in large part to Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham looks up at the scoreboard during second half action at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. Michigan State won the game 15-6.
Oregon, meanwhile, enters the game on its last life but with a renewed belief. After falling to 4-3 and watching its season almost come to an end, the Ducks have rallied with back-to-back ranked wins. First, a 36-28 win over Northwestern where Oregon came back from down 14 points in the first half. Next, a 41-28 thumping of Ohio State in Columbus, where Oregon was also down 14 points early before it scored 38 straight to flip the game on its head.
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Now, Lanning’s team has a reeling Michigan squad coming to town that has lost four of its past six and followed suit with a move Oregon made a few weeks ago and fired its offensive coordinator, Jason Beck. The Ducks head coach did his best to sell Michigan as a team that’s still dangerous.
“We’re about to play a Michigan team that’s had some struggles, but you also see some unbelievable personnel,” Lanning told reporters at his press conference on Monday. “We’ve had the opportunity to go against coach Whittingham before and see where they always show up. They’ve always been tough-nosed. You see physicality.
“Obviously, their defense is probably as good as any defense that we’ve played this season. They’re playing really, really well. They’ve done some good things in special teams. And, yes, they’ve had some struggles on offense, obviously, and recently had the coordinator change. But you do see a lot of talent over there.”
Michigan will travel to Oregon on Thursday, a day earlier than usual, to adjust for the time change, according to Whittingham. The Wolverines are 3-3 all time against Oregon, winning the first three matchups in the series but losing all three games that have been played this century, most recently a 38-17 setback to then-No. 1 Oregon in 2024.
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U-M is 0-1 all time in Eugene, falling 31-27 in 2003, and 0-2 in Big Ten road trips to the West Coast since the league expanded, losing 27-17 to Washington in 2024 and 31-13 to USC last season at the Coliseum.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
Next up: Ducks
Matchup: Michigan (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) at Oregon (6-3, 4-2).
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14; Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon.
TV/radio: FS1; WCSX-FM (94.7).
The line: Ducks by 10½
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham: Oregon can ‘outbid’ most teams
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